Shadow: I'm a lost cause. I swear – plot bunnies breed. This little ficlet was supposed to be a long one-shot – but it morphed somewhere along the way and grew – then promptly got chopped up into chapters. I'm not sure how many chapters there are actually, but I'm determined to get this all up for Halloween. The fic itself is Halloween-based – blame the season. Everywhere you look now in England it's pumpkins.

Warnings: Um…shonen-ai pairings (boy x boy) - mostly Prideshipping (YY x SK) but with hints of Darkshipping (YY x YB).Angst, and character death.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a headache and this plot. Friends will testify in court.

Flashbacks and other thoughts are in italics.

Thoughts that take place in italic sections are in bold italics.

Both sides of the border

Sorcery

It was a dark night, as such nights always seemed to be, though those that saw it paid it little heed, for the same occurrence happened often in their world. Autumn was nearing its inevitable end, and the chill of winter was just beginning to set in, brittle leaves snapping underfoot with the crunching of the frost-laced grass.

It would be the first of November come midnight, marking the eve before as that of All Hallows – a sacred time since the ancients first gained their consciousness and began to honour those that had passed before. Halloween, the 'modern' world called it, ever since the introduction of monotheistic Christianity had replaced the pagan gods and consorts with their own pantheon of angels and saints, headed by the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Halloween was the name most knew; All Hallow's Eve; a time to drag out the costumes and take the children out to trick o' treat around the neighbourhood. To throw outlandish parties, wear clothes you'd never dare to on any other day, and eat too many sweets.

But the last day of October had not always been so commercialised. Before Halloween, before the night before the feast of 'All Saints', before sugar and pumpkins and parties and caps, before all of that…

There had been Samhain.

As an ancient spirit, one could say Yami Yugi had learned to adapt over the centuries – after all, it wasn't as if he hadn't of had plenty of time to come to terms with whatever chanced to come his way. His upbringing in a polytheistic society had left him understanding – or at least open-minded – to other religions, and the tales and traditions of other deities and subsequent cults had him fascinated. Only the atheists left him cool – it had to be the highest blasphemy in Egypt to believe in no god -, but he understood why some people chose to believe in no greater power – and he treated no person differently because of their beliefs. It had taken little time for him, once acquainted with the wonders of the twenty-first century, to realise there was enough grief and suffering in the world without his adding to it. So he was a rather peaceable sort, really.

Splitting from Yugi just over a year and a half back had given him the opportunity to develop a personality individual of his light, and there had been a wave of surprise when Yami had first appeared in a body separate from his hikari. Yugi had simply beamed at his friends, introducing Yami to them as his darker half – and to the rest of the world his cousin. Smart, pretty and popular, Yami had easily fitted into the modern world, and quickly earned himself what his aibou laughingly dubbed 'the fanclub'. If by fanclub Yugi meant hordes of screaming females – and not a few males too – chasing him through Domino, he had pretty much got it in one.

Yami was an avid reader, and could often be found curled up on the sofa in the home he shared with his hikari and grandpa, nose buried in a book. Be it fact or fiction, novel, short story or article, you could bet Yami had read it. The former pharaoh was endlessly curious, and would rest at nothing till he knew everything there was to know about whatever held him fascinated at that current time. It was both one of his best traits and his worst, and at times his friends despaired of him because of it. Meetings had been forgotten, homework had been abandoned, and food had been burnt to a sacrificial crisp while Yami had lost himself in a book, ruby eyes looking upwards and blinking cutely when exasperated friends and family dragged him back into the world of reality. He just…didn't get it.

It was through his hopeless addiction to knowledge Yami had encountered the commercial holiday that was Halloween. The appearance of wickedly grinning jack o' lanterns in the neighbourhood when October came around baffled him, and the cobwebs dangling everywhere left him mystified – if not a tad annoyed when they insistently stuck to his hair and simply refused to come out. Yugi had tried to explain to him the need for all the lurid decorations and outfits, but had been unable to answer all of his darker half's questions sufficiently. So, as to be expected, Yami did some research.

By the time October 29th had arrived the royal spirit knew possibly everything there was to know about Halloween, and as much as he could find about Samhain – the original Celtic festival it had been based upon. Content, Yami had happily set about celebrating his first Halloween – and thoroughly annoyed all of Yugi-tachi by abundantly decorating the Kame Game Shop – and them – with lanterns, streamers, cobwebs and as much other Halloween paraphernalia he could buy. Joey, Tea, Ryou and Tristan had become accustomed to checking for Yami before settling down anywhere – the pharaoh had taken great pleasure in springing surprises upon them at every possible opportunity – the last one had resulted in Joey and Tristan getting soaked with a bucketful of water. Still, however hard they tried, they could not avoid all of their friend's ministrations. Said friend being a kick-ass three-thousand-odd year old pharaoh with the ability to summon and disperse the Shadow Realm at a whim not helping in the slightest, of course. So, in the tradition of all friendships, Yugi-tachi were determined to get him back.

Kaiba Mokuba's masked Halloween party was the perfect time to do so.

Yami, to put it bluntly, hated parties. It wasn't that he was antisocial – quite the opposite in fact, Yami loved being around people -, he just hated large gatherings and crowds; more often than not he'd develop a few girls hanging onto him – once or twice some of them had even progressed to latching themselves around his waist and refusing to let go until literally separated from 'their one true great love' with a crowbar. Of course, Yugi, Joey and Tristan had fallen about laughing. Ryou had quickly pulled Bakura out of the way of Yami's wrath – the tomb-robber's jibes had been getting even too much for the pharaoh -, and Mokuba had stared with wide eyes at the entire scene after scolding his big brother for tormenting the blushing Yami so.

Normally, Yami would have avoided the party, reluctant to end up in that sort of situation again. Normally. If he had heard anything about the party he would have adopted one of the twenty-first century's favourite expressions and 'ran for the hills' as fast as his legs could possibly take him. (And that was quite fast, actually.) But, with a skill even the duped spirit had to admire at a later date, Yugi cheerfully manipulated all and sundry to make sure his dark was kept in complete ignorance of any sort of festivity he would be required to attend. Right up until six 'o' clock on October the 31st, with the party being due to start in an hour and a half.

Easy to say, Yami had not been best pleased.

Pleaded with, blackmailed, coerced and cajoled, Yami had changed into the costume his hikari had found for him, grumbling and muttering death threats all the while. Yugi had ignored all threats against his person, knowing fine well his other half wouldn't carry any of them out, merely smirking in an extremely un-Yugi-like fashion and making sure Yami didn't try to escape before they could get to the Kaiba mansion, where Mokuba had demanded his brother to let the party be held. (Seto was still suffering slight shock and could then apparently be found wandering around asking the ceiling 'Why me?') The party itself had been dubbed a 'masked ball'; you did not necessarily have to go as anything, but you had to be wearing a costume of some sort, or clothes different from your norm. Masks, of course, were necessary.

Yugi had managed to find an all-black outfit for his yami, well aware it was probably his darker half's favourite colour (if the large majority of Yami's wardrobe had anything to say about it, at least). When wearing it, nearly every inch of the former pharaoh's skin had been covered, midnight-cloth fitting his slender form like a second skin. A long cloak of the same shade was tied around Yami's throat, clipped in place with a golden brooch depicting a coiled snake, rubies the same hue as the cloak's lining winking in the light. Half an hour's battling had succeeded in tying back the spirit's spiky hair in a ponytail, and a soft scarf hid the tell-tale strands of crimson, ebony and gold. The required mask had covered half of Yami's face, tiny golden stars sewn into the silky material catching what little light there was and glittering attractively. But that had been last year.

And Halloween had come around again…

The Kaiba mansion was a large place, and had grounds to match. Yami enjoyed wandering the vast gardens, and had quickly found peace in the silence within the mansion's four walls. Not that later events hadn't helped in his liking for the place of course.

The moon hadn't quite properly risen yet, the evening before the night still very much in progress. Yami's breath left his mouth as a fine mist, his cold hands wrapped firmly around his slight frame in an effort to coax some heat back into his skin. He stood beside the small lake in the Kaiba mansion's gardens – a pretty spot made even prettier by nightfall and the stars faint reflections on it's waters. The year before he had attended a party in the house just visible through trees shielding the lake, and everywhere had been full of life and light.

No-one had really felt like a party this year.

"Oh Yami…lighten up!"

Startled out of their internal reverie, crimson eyes swivelled from where they had been vacantly staring into space for at least a good half hour and to the exasperated form of their owner's aibou, who regarded them back with an air of frustration.

"Hikari?" A note of surprise echoed in the pharaoh's voice. "What troubles you?"

"You!" Yugi grabbed his darkness' hands, clearly put out. "You're obviously not having any fun; everyone feels really guilty!"

Taken aback, Yami blinked. "…They do?"

"I…well no." Yugi bit his lip. "But I'm sure they would, if they recognised you!" He added fiercely.

His other half couldn't help it – he laughed. Yugi quickly joined in, suddenly realising how daft his comments must have seemed. Then he stopped, placing a hand on his other's arm.

"No, Yami, seriously. I know you're not all that fond of parties, but no-one recognises you here! You're just this really cute…person in the corner!"

"…'Person'?" A slim eyebrow rose for the Heavens.

"It's a little hard to tell whether you're a girl or not in this light…" Yugi grinned, ducking quickly out of the way when Yami tried to elbow him in the side. "Hey, don't blame me! I'm only the messenger…"

Yami halted his assault. "…What?"

"As I said." Yugi's grin had rapidly changed to a smug smirk. "I'm only the messenger."

"Who from?"

Amethyst eyes widened. "My God…Yami, you really haven't been paying any attention, have you?"

"Umm…"

"I'll take that as a 'no'." Yugi smiled, his irrepressibly sunshine nature shining through once more. He giggled, nodding his head slightly across the room. Yami, curious, followed his gaze.

Standing leaning against the far wall, across the vast gulf of people packed into the mansion, stood a solitary figure. Dressed in a long, glittering outfit of white he – for it was clearly a he – stood out by a mile, his height allowing him to be seen above the crowds filling the room. Even with his face covered by a mask Yami easily identified him – who else had eyes that blue?

"…Kaiba…?" A wondering gaze was turned on Yugi. "You can't be serious. He's been looking at me?"

His hikari nodded brightly. "He has – though to be fair, mon hitorou no boku, everyone's been looking at you." A coquettish bat of lashes. "I think he likes you…"

Yami had escaped the room under the knowing eyes of his aibou, cheeks burning. Yugi knew he'd liked Seto Kaiba for a while, and had been urging him to say something to the tall brunette. He'd been bewitched by the elder's pride and manner, blue eyes trapping him like a butterfly against a glass pane.

And then? Being told Kaiba had been glancing his way all that evening? Yami had to run, simply to try and cool his dark red cheeks in the outside air. He had been flushed, dizzy and embarrassed. Hopeful too, and not more than a little smug. The Seto Kaiba, interested in him?

Yami leant against a tree, letting out a loud sigh of relief. What he was actually relieved about was beyond him, but it was nice to be outside in the fresh air, especially as he'd chosen to rest beside the lake in the mansion's grounds – which looked extraordinarily lovely that night. Feeling a little constricted by his clothes he rolled his sleeves up, pulling the scarf away from his head and dangling it loosely with one hand. Gods above, why had he ran from the party? Surely he could have done the more sensible thing and at least chosen to walk? Another sigh, and Yami leant back against the tree once more, closing his eyes as he tried to regain his breath.

'Gods…'

"A mask upon a mask…" Slender fingers traced the outline of his face, soft pads grazing his lips slightly before dropping away, "a conundrum."

Yami jumped and would have slipped and fallen, had not strong hands caught his forearms, dragging him into a tall body to hold him steady.

"Whoa…" The same voice that had startled him so before was whispered in his ear, smooth tones laced with amusement. "No need to kill yourself, Mouto."

Blushing furiously Yami withdrew himself from the body that held him, already knowing full well who it was.

"Are you following me or something?"

Kaiba smiled dryly, taking the white mask he wore off of his face, noting his companion's flushed cheeks and annoyed voice. "Would it bother you if I was?"

"I-er-um." Words failed Yami, his face darkening even further. "I…guess not…? But…you weren't supposed to follow me!"

Blue eyes warmed slightly, the amusement that had been present in the CEO's voice beforehand now evident in his eyes. "Forgive me. What was I supposed to do?"

"You weren't supposed to do anything!"

"Why not?"

"You're not allowed to!"

"So, let me get this straight." Kaiba's face was rapidly developing it's tell-tale smirk. "At my party in my house…I'm not allowed to do anything?"

'Sweet Nut kill me now…' "Uh…"

Seto laughed, drawing curious eyes once more to his face. "Forget it. Why don't you take your mask off? It has to be uncomfortable."

Yami protested. "It's a masked ball! I'm meant to wear a mask!"

"But I've taken mine off."

"That doesn't mean I need to remove mine."

"You have a pretty face. Why hide it from view?"

Kaiba had eventually coaxed him into removing the mask – then batted his hands away before he could do it.

"Let me."

"Kaiba, don't be ridiculous. It's my mask."

"Let. Me."

Less of a request and more of an order. Not that Yami had really complained anyway. Why would he? He liked Kaiba and the brunette had been so gentle…

Nimble fingers worked the cord tying the mask to his face, Yami's breath coming quicker at his companion's close proximity to him. The fibre seemed to have become tangled up into a knot of some sort – Kaiba was grumbling under his breath.

Eventually though, it came loose, and a black strip of material was dangled triumphantly in the pharaoh's face.

"There."

Yami had to resist the urge to laugh. "Do you realise how childish you look?"

Kaiba huffed. "Do you realise how damned hard that thing was to get undone?"

"Fair point." A bright smile, the mask taken and stuffed into a handy pocket. "Aibou first tied it on for me – I had this party, and the outfit, sprung on me about two hours ago."

"Then I must say, it was an outfit remarkably well-sprung."

Yami blushed again.

Kaiba had still been close to him, he could recall; the brunette hadn't moved away after untying the mask from his face. The memory made him smile as he stared idly at the lake's waters, remembering the year before when he'd been in exactly the same place, but had been occupied by a totally different thing entirely…

'Kaiba's hand is on my arm.'

And the brunette didn't seem all that keen on removing it...

Yami was sure Kaiba could hear his heart pounding – dammit, he was surprised half of Japan couldn't hear it! Yet the CEO seemed oblivious…

Idle patterns were drawn down one arm, feather-light brushes tickling the golden skin. "You know…the origins of mask and costume-wearing lie in the old folklore that on the night of All Hallow's, evil spirits and faeries roam."

"Oh?" Yami fought to keep his expression neutral; the other's touch was sending tingles of pleasure racing throughout his entire body.

"Yes, oh." A shadowy smile was shot his way, dark eyes regarding him with an almost feline amusement. "Samhain is the night when the worlds bleed into one another, and the borders between life and death simply fall away. Costumes were worn to deceive the spirits, as it was thought the fey creatures would 'steal' a beautiful mortal they desired, and call them to death before their time…" A pregnant pause. "Make sure your costume's a good one this year, Yami."

"And why's that?" The Egyptian spirit found himself unable to move, unable to think clearly with his gaze locked by impossibly dark, dark blue.

Warm breath against his ear, the sudden heat sending shivers down his spine. "…I'm not quite willing to relinquish you to the faeries yet...though I guess I could always just steal you first…"

"'Steal me first'?" Yami couldn't help the quirk of amusement at the corners of his lips. "And how, my would-be captor, do you intend to do that? Despite my size, I am not so easily carried away."

A low chuckle was his reward. "You would not willingly be stolen? A pity…perhaps I could change your mind."

Lips trailed over his skin, moving upwards to place a soft kiss upon his lips. A gentle touch – the first kiss he could remember in a long time and no less worthy for the wait. It took little for thought to flee Yami's mind, and even less for him to wrap his arms around Kaiba's neck, dragging the other's head down to a more comfortable height, eyes slipping closed. They were lost then, both of them, the night wrapping velvety arms around the couple, the falling autumn leaves a whisper that cloaked the soft words and cries, stealing the light from fey lanterns and whisking it away to a land of half-hidden dreams and desires.

Now, looking back, with the lonely comfort of the far-away stars, Yami realised that was where most of his pain had begun.